Winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches



Jan. 5, 1960 MEYER 2,919,537

WINDING AND SETTING MECHANISM FOR HERMETICALLY CLOSABLE WATCHES Filed Oct. 30, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR FE dricm B ATTO R N EY Jan. 5, 1960 F. MEYER 2,919,537 WINDING AND SETTING MECHANISM FOR HERMETICALLY CLOSABLE WATCHES Filed Oct. 30, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llll INVENTOR F 'edrich H er kim/FM ATTO R N EY United States Patent WINDING AND SETTING MECHANISM FOR HERMETICALLY CLOSABLE WATCHES Friedrich Meyer, Grenchen, Switzerland, assignor to Ebauches S.A., Neuchatel, Switzerland Application October 30, 1956, Serial No. 619,340

Claims priority, application Switzerland December 12, 1955 8 Claims. (Cl. 58-68) Object of the invention is a winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches, such as, for instance, divers watches, having a winding stem which by adjustment into a first and a second axial position effects an alternate adjustment of the mechanism into the winding and hands-setting position respectively and by adjustment into a third axial position effects hermetical closing of the watch, the winding stem comprising a groove engaged by a member of a transmission means.

Another object of the invention is to provide that at least one of the parts constituted by the member of the transmission means and the border walls of the groove is yieldable in axial direction of the winding stern.

Another object of the invention is to provide that the one of the border walls of the groove is yieldable in axial direction of the winding stem at least within reach of the member of the transmission means.

A further object of the invention is that the yieldable portion of the border wall of the groove is constituted by the one end face of a spring-loaded sleeve loosely placed' on the winding stem, the sleeve, in the first and second axial position of the winding stem, bearing against a stop of the winding stern.

A still further object of the invention is that the member of the transmission means is a pin and has in axial direction of the winding stem a dimension smaller than the width of the groove tov such a degree that the pin, through a part of the axial movement of the winding stem, is out of contact with the border walls of the groove.

Another object of the invention is that the mechanism includes a winding pinion mounted on the winding stem and in that the winding pinion has a central recess turned towards the groove of the winding stem to receive a collar of the winding stem in the third axial, hermetically closing position of the winding stem, this collar constituting the one border wall of the groove.

Other objects and features of my invention will be apparent as the following description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a partly sectional view of the general disposition of the winding and setting mechanism with the winding crown tightly fixed to the tube of the watchcase.

Figs. 2 to 4 are sectional views through the axis of the winding stern in three different positions of the latter, viz.: in Fig. 2 in the interlocked position, in Fig. 3 in the winding position and in Fig. 4 in the hands-setting position.

Referring now to Fig. 1 the winding crown 2 fixed to the winding stem 1 in axial and circumferential direction has an annular groove 3 receiving a packing 4 tightly pressed against the tube 6. The tube 6 rigidly fixed to the caseband has a bayonet joint-groove 7 engaged by two lugs 8 of the crown 2, these lugs lying opposite to each other. For displacing the crown 2 into the winding position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 the crown 2 must be turned until the lugs 8 come within reach of cut-outs 9 of a flange 10 of the tube 6 to remove the lugs 8 through the cut-outs 9. In order to bring the crown 2 back from its dotted line position into the full line position of Fig. 1 corresponding manipulations in the reverse sense become necessary. Any well-known screw lock or the like between tube 6 or casing 5 and crown 2 may be substituted for the bayonet joint 8, 9, 10. As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the winding stem 1 has two collars 11 and 12 whose distance from each other is equal to the Width of the groove 13 (Figs. 3 and 4) of the winding stem 1, this groove being referred to later on in more detail. Between crown 2 and collar 11 a sleeve 14 surrounds the winding stem 1 in a manner to be axially shiftable along the stem 1. A spring 15 is supported on the sleeve 14 and on the crown 2 and, in the position shown in Fig. 1, presses the sleeve 14 onto the pinshaped member 16 of a transmission member 18 forming a setting lever swingingly mounted on the movement frame as at 17. The pin 16 is flattened so that its extension in axial direction of the stem 1 is only about half the width of the groove 13 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A pin 19 of the setting lever 18 engages in a well-known manner in the one of two notches 20 of a setting lever spring 21 fixed to the movement frame by means of a screw 34. A winding pinion 22 having a central recess 23 and engaging a-crown wheel 24 of the winding gear train is loosely mounted on the winding stem 1. A fourcornered portion 25 of the winding stem 1 receives a clutch wheel 26 having an annular groove 27 engaged by a rocker 29 loaded by a spring 33 and swingably mounted on the movement frame as at 28, the end face 30 of the rocker 29 cooperating in a well-known manner with the end face 31 of the setting lever 18 for adjusting the clutch wheel 26. In the position shown in Fig.

4 the clutch wheel 26 is in engagement with a setting notch 20 of the setting lever spring 21. Therefore, the

clutch wheel 26 is in engagement with a crown toothing of the winding pinion 22 and disengaged from the setting pinion 32. However, the watch cannot be wound up, since the crown 2 is interlocked with the tube 6 by means of the bayonet joint 8, 9, 10 for tightly closing the watch.

The spring 15 which is now compressed, presses the sleeve 14 against the pin 16 of the setting lever 18. Though spring 15 is stronger than spring 21, spring 15, due to the shape of the outer notch 20 or" spring 21, cannot swing the setting lever 18 in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1. In Figs. 1 and 2, the collar 11 of the winding stem 1 is at a distance from the inner edge of the sleeve 14. If the crown 2 is now turned until its lugs 8 can pass through the cut-outs 9 of the flange 10 to the outside and if the crown 2 is brought into the dotted line position of Fig. 1, the position of the setting lever 18 is not changed, but the spring 15 is relieved and the winding stem 1 comes into the axial position shown in Fig. 3 where the collar 12 contacts the inner edge of the setting lever pin 16. The spring 15 now no longer presses the sleeve 14 against the pin 16 but against the collar 11 of the winding stem 1. The inner edges of sleeve 14 and collar 11 now constitute together the outer border wall of the groove 13 whose innerborder wall is formed by the collar 12. The setting lever pin 16 is at a distance from sleeve 14 and collar 11. Since on the transition of the various parts from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 3 the position of the setting lever 18 remains unchanged, engagement of the clutch wheel 25 with winding pinion 22 is maintained. As the crown 2 is now released, the Watch can be wound up.

When, for the transition from the winding position of Fig. 3 to the hands-setting position of Fig. 4, the winding stem 1 is pulled towards the outside, the Inner border wall 12 of the groove 13 takes the pin 16 along with it and swings the setting lever 18 in a well-known manner in the anticlockwise direction around 17. By the well-known cooperation between the end faces 31 and 30 the rocker 29 is swung and brings the clutch wheel 26 into the position of Fig. 4 where it is disengaged from the winding pinion 22 and in mesh with the setting pinion 32 so that the hands of the watch can be set by turning the crown 2. The pin 19 of lever 18 jumped into the inner notch 20 of spring 21 and now secures the clutch wheel 26 In its hands-setting position.

When the winding stem 1 is pushed back from the hands-setting position of Fig. 4 to the windingv position of Fig. 3, nothing happens with the setting lever 18 until the border wall of the groove 13, constituted of the inner edges of sleeve 14 and collar 11, strikes against the setting lever pin 16 from the outside. Since the constraint of spring 15 is greater than that of setting lever spring 21 the sleeve 14, on further inward movement of the stem 1, is not pushed back against the constraint of spring 15, but remains flush with collar 11 as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, sleeve 14 swings setting lever 18 in the clockwise direction of Fig. l and at the moment, when the pin 19 moving from the inner to the outer notch 2 3 of spring 21 has passed the highest point 35 between the notches 20, the spring 21 tensioned thereby throws the setting lever 18 further in the clockwise direction until the pin 19 engages the outer notch 20 and the setting lever pin 16 has reached the collar 12 which moved in advance of pin 16. Now, the mechanism is again in the Winding position of Fig. 3.

Now, if the watch is to be hermetically closed, that is, the crown 2 is locked by means of the bayonet joint 8, 9, by axially adjusting the stem 1 from the position of Fig. 3 to that of Figs. 1 and 2, the inner edges of sleeve 14 and collar 11, due to their distance from setting lever pin 16, remain at first flush with each other. Only when the sleeve 14 strikes against the pin 16, this pin, as the setting lever 18 can no longer swing in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1, presses the sleeve 14 back while compressing the spring and while the collar 11 passes by the side of pin 16 and the collar 12 enters the recess 23 of the winding pinion 22. When the stem 1 is completely pushed in, the crown 2 can be turned to engage lugs 8 with flange 111 and thereby locked in its tightening position.

Instead of flattening the setting lever pin 16 as shown and described, that is, instead of giving it in axial direction of stem 1 a dimension which is smaller than the width of the groove 13, it can be given a diameter corresponding to the width of the groove as is usual in ordinary mechanisms of this type. As in such a modified case the intermediate space shown in Fig. 3 between pin 16 and sleeve 14 would, however, no longer exist, the sleeve 14, already at the beginning of the transition from the position of Fig. 3 to that of Fig. 2, would be pressed back against the constraint of spring 15 through a distance which is greater by the said intermediate space, so that with the same axial adjustment of stem 1 and with the same force of the compressed spring 15 a greater length of this spring and, with a sufiicient lengthof sleeve 14, a larger distance between groove 13 and crown 2 and, therefore, modifications in the disposition of the entire mechanism would be required. If the intermediate space between an unflattened setting lever pin and sleeve 14 were to be retained, the collar 12 would have to be displaced inwards whereby the path for the collar 12 would become too small if the usual disposition of the winding pinion 22 and the remaining winding gear train were to be retained.

The recess 23 of the winding pinion 22 is provided to allow the collar 12 and the stem 1 to run through a path necessary for locking the crown 2 without requiring modifications in the position of the winding pinion 22 and the parts related thereto.

Instead of the border wall 14 of the groove 13, the collar 12 or the setting lever pin 16 may under certain circumstances be yieldable in axial direction of stem 1.

The mechanism according to my invention may be used in watches with and without automatic winding.

What I claim is:

1. In a winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches, such as, for instance, divers watches, having a winding stem which by adjustment into a first and a second axial position effects an alternate adjustment of the mechanism .into the winding and hands-setting position respectively and .by adjustment into a third axial position eitects hermetical closing of the watch, a grooved clutch wheel, a rocker engaging the clutch wheel to bring it into the winding and handssetting position respectively, a setting lever for controlling the rocker, a pin carried by the setting lever, the winding stern having a groove engaged by the pin of the setting lever and collar-shaped stop portion, the groove of the winding stem being limited in axial direction of the stem by two border walls, one of said border walls being yieldable in axial direction of the winding stem in its marginal portion adapted to engage the pin of the setting lever, said marginal portion being constituted by the one end face of a spring-loaded sleeve loosely placed on the winding stem, the sleeve, in the first and second axial position of the winding stem, bearing against the stop portion of the winding stem, the pin of the setting lever having an axial direction of the winding stem a dimension smaller than the width of the groove to such a degree that the pin, through a part of the axial movement of the winding stem, is out of contact with the border walls of the groove.

2. In a mechanism according to claim 1, a winding pinion mounted on the winding stem, the winding stem having a second collar portion and the winding pinion having a central recess turned towards the groove of the winding stem to receive the said second collar portion of the winding stem in the third axial, hermetically closing position of the winding stem, this collar portion constituting the other border wall of the groove.

3. In a winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches, such as, for instance, divers watches, having a winding stem which by adjustment into a first and a second axial position effects an alternate adjustment of the mechanism into the winding and handssetting position respectively and by adjustment into a third axial position efiects hermetical closing of the watch, a grooved clutch wheel, a rocker engaging the clutch wheel to bring it into the winding and hands-setting position respectively, a setting lever for controlling the rocker, a pin carried by the setting lever, the winding stem having a groove engaged by the pin of the setting lever and a collar-shaped stop portion, the groove of the winding stem being limited in axial direction of the stem by two border walls, one of said border walls being yieldable in axial direction of the winding stern in its marginal portion adapted to engage the pin of the setting lever, said marginal portion being constituted by the one end face of a spring-loaded sleeve loosely placed on the winding stem, the sleeve, in the first and second axial position of the winding stem, bearing against the stop portion of the winding stem.

4. In a winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches, such as, for instance, divers watches, having a winding stem which by adjustment into a first and a second axial position effects an alternate adjustment of the mechanism into the winding and hands-setting position respectively and by adjustment into a third axial positioneffects hermetical closing of the watch, a grooved clutch wheel, a rocker engaging the clutch wheel to bring it into the winding and hands-setting position respectively, a setting lever for controlling the rocker, a pin carried by the setting lever, the winding stern having a groove engaged by the pin of the setting lever, the groove of the winding stem being limited in axial direction of the stem by two border walls, one of said border walls being yieldable in axial direction of the winding stem in its marginal portion adapted to engage the pin of the setting lever, said marginal portion being constituted by the one end face of a spring-loaded sleeve loosely placed on the winding stem.

5. In a winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches, such as, for instance, divers watches, having a winding stem which by adjustment into a first and a second axial position efiects an alternate adjustment of the mechanism into the winding and hands-setting position respectively and by adjustment into a third axial position elfects hermetical closing of the watch, a grooved clutch wheel, a rocker engaging the clutch wheel to bring it into the winding and hands-setting position respectively, a setting lever for controlling the rocker, a pin carried by the setting lever, the winding stem having a groove engaged by the pin of the-setting lever, the groove of the winding stem being limited in axial direction of the stem by two border walls, a spring loosely placed on the winding stem, one of said border walls being subjected to the action of said spring and thereby yieldable in axial direction of the winding stem.

6. In a winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches, such as, for instance, divers watches, having a winding stem which by adjustment into a first and a second axial position effects an alternate adjustment of the mechanism into the winding and hands-setting position respectively and by adjustment into a third axial position efiects hermetical closing of the watch, a grooved clutch wheel, a rocker engaging the clutch wheel to bring it into the winding and hands-setting position respectively, a setting lever for controlling the rocker, a pin carried by the setting lever, the winding stem having a groove engaged by the pin of the setting lever, the groove of the winding stern being limited in axial direction of the stem by two border walls, a spring loosely placed on the winding stem, at least one of the parts constituted by the pin of the setting lever and the border walls of the groove being subjected to the action of said spring and thereby yieldable in axial direction of the winding stem.

7. In a winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches, having a winding stem which by adjustment into a first and a second axial position efiects an alternate adjustment of the mechanism into the winding and hands-setting position respectively and by adjustment into a third axial position efiects hermetical closing of the watch, a transmission means for bringing the mechanism into the winding and hands-setting position respectively, a member carried by the transmission means, the winding stem having a groove engaged by the member of the transmission means, the groove being limited in axial direction of the stem by two border walls, a spring loosely placed on the winding stem, at least one of the parts constituted by the member of the transmission means and the border walls of the groove being subjected to the action of said spring and thereby yieldable in axial direction of the winding stem.

8. In a winding and setting mechanism for hermetically closable watches, having a winding stem which by adjustment into a first and a second axial position effects an alternate adjustment of the mechanism into the winding and hands-setting position respectively and by adjustment into a third axial position effects hermetical closing of the watch, a transmission means for bringing the mechanism into the winding and hands-setting position respectively, a member carried by the transmission means, the winding stern having a groove engaged by the member of the transmission means, the groove being limited in axial direction of the stern by two border walls, at least one of the parts constituted by the member of the transmission means and the border walls of the groove being spring-loaded and thereby yieldable in axial direction of the winding stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,292,446 Dunham Ian. 28, 1919 1,292,540 Tough Jan. 28, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS 170,500 Switzerland Oct. 16, 1934 

